Everyone's heard of Jesus, why do I need to share the gospel? (3 shocking reasons) -

Why do I need to share the gospel, hasn’t everyone already heard about Jesus?

Have you ever wondered if there’s really a need to share the gospel in this day and age? Christianity is nothing new, it’s been around for thousands of years. But has everyone out there actually heard of Jesus, and if they have, do they really know who He is and what He did? Here are 3 compelling reasons why Christians should be sharing the gospel in today’s world.

1. People haven’t heard

While most Christians assume that the great majority of the world has heard about Jesus, according to the Joshua Project, it’s estimated that there are still over 7,000 people groups that have yet to be reached for Christ.

That’s a lot. So of course we should be praying that the Lord will make Himself known to these people and that those who are called to travel the world with the gospel will surrender to do so.

But what about America? Surely everybody who lives in the most Christian nation in the world has heard of Jesus. While a quick Google search tells us that there are 205 million Christians in the US, that still leaves over 123 million people who aren’t.

And that number is staggering. 123 million lost people in the US.

More than 1 out of every 3 Americans don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Now of course that doesn’t necessarily mean that they haven’t heard. Lots of people in America have heard of Jesus. But do they really understand who He is? There’s a huge difference between having heard the Name and understanding the gospel.

Do they understand the holiness of God, and their sinfulness that separates them from Him?

Do they know that Jesus is God’s Son, and that He lived a sinless life?

Do they know exactly what happened on the cross when Jesus cried, “Finished!”?

Do they realize their need to turn from their sins and place their trust in the Savior?

If you’ve ever watched any of the interviews on the Living Waters YouTube channel with people on the street, you’ll know that for a great percentage of these people, the answers to the questions above are a heart-wrenching “no.”

So even if these people have heard the name of Jesus, they likely haven’t heard the gospel.

Just think about it. The next time you’re at your workplace, your school, a party, the grocery store, or a concert, look around and think that over a third of the people you see are on their way to hell, probably unknowingly.

That reality is jarring!

I used to assume that most people had heard of Jesus and understood what He did on the cross, and that they just chose to reject Him.

But the more I talked with the people in my life, and the more articles I read and videos I watched of evangelism encounters, I had the shocking realization that it isn’t that people have heard the gospel and rejected it, it’s that many of them have never heard it at all.

Did you get that, my friend?!

It was mind-blowing to me! Even here in America, it’s likely that millions of people have never heard the truth about Christ—they’re not just rejecting that truth—THEY. DON’T. KNOW. They may be misled or just haven’t heard!

That thought alone is sobering enough, but it doesn’t stop there. Let’s look at the remaining 3 reasons that we as the body of Christ need to be sharing the gospel.

2. People have heard wrong

Just like there are many people who haven’t yet heard of Jesus, there are many who’ve heard things about Christianity that are just plain WRONG.

Christianity is mistakenly viewed by most people as a religion. But if you personally know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you understand how very damaging—and how very far from the truth—that is.

You see, Christianity is a relationship with Almighty God through His Son, Christ Jesus, which is actually the polar opposite of religion.

While God in Christ Jesus reached down to save sinners, religion is an invention of humankind to reach up to God. The trouble with that is we’re far too filthy and tainted in our sins to ever reach Him.

Religion can’t save, only the blood of Jesus can do that. And Christianity—simply a word that describes someone who’s trusted in Christ—is based on faith, not on works or performance.

Many people are under the impression that we’re all here on this world by accident, that some big bang happened, some atoms collided with some other atoms, and—after some random cells clumped together and managed to crawl out of a puddle of ooze—here we are, billions of years later.

I suppose humans just can’t come up with any better explanation than that. But praise God for His Word that enlightens us of what really happened!

In fact, we can even just look around for evidence of God’s existence, creation itself is proof of a Creator. Humankind is absolutely without an excuse to doubt His existence.

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We’re not here by accident. God, our Creator, chose to make us in His image and breathed life into us. And when our bodies die, our spirit continues to exist in one of two places.

We will give Him an answer for ourselves and our sins when we die. He will require an account for our actions and a reason why He should accept us. And if that answer is anything but the Name of Jesus, we’re doomed for eternity.

Our physical death is proof that God is serious about sin. Many people haven’t heard the truth of the Word of God—that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, His Son.

That’s why it’s so important that we share the message of the gospel with everyone we can. Even if they’ve heard about Jesus, they might have heard false information.

It’s vital that people understand how holy God is and how sinful we are because that truth creates the realization of the need for salvation.

People might also have heard that God is nothing but love and therefore all-accepting. And while He is loving, He’s also righteous and just. He cannot turn a blind eye to sin.

You see, the gospel message isn’t all about how God has some marvelous plan for your life where everything is sunshine and lollipops, it’s about the deadly consequence of our sins and the offer of salvation from hell and eternal separation from God.

Jesus didn’t come to make us happy, He came to make us righteous.

Hell is real.

Jesus taught on this so often, emphasizing the need for repentance. Because no matter what someone might have heard or been taught, not everyone goes to heaven. Being a “good” person isn’t enough. We’re all filthy sinners in need of the Savior.

And getting that message out to the lost is of the utmost importance!

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3. False conversion is real

Remember that statistic we talked about a little while ago? That there are 205 million Christians in the United States? Praise God!—even though there are still so many lost people out there, at least we can be comforted that there are 205 million fellow believers in America.

But are there, really?

These hundreds of millions of people are labeling themselves as Christians, but how do they define that term?

Are they labeling themselves Christians because they believe themselves to have good morals?

Do they consider themselves good people so therefore they’re “Christian”?

Have they gone to church all their lives?

Are they sitting on the front row for each Sunday service?

Was their dad a preacher or their mom a Sunday School teacher, so that makes them “Christian”?

Did they go forward at church camp and “ask Jesus into their heart”?

Not only are there millions of people who haven’t heard about Jesus, or who have misunderstood what Christianity really is, but there are also countless others who believe themselves to be saved when in reality, they are so very sadly lost to hell.

There’s an untold number of people who have mistakenly subscribed to a nonexistent religion of “Christianity.”

To be a Christian simply means that someone has turned from their sinfulness and transferred their trust for salvation from themselves to the Savior.

It’s not a religion to which you can subscribe or unsubscribe, it’s an irrevocable transformation. And in failing to communicate this clearly, the church will be held accountable. It’s a travesty and a tragedy of the worse kind.

Being a “good” person won’t get you into heaven. Our sinfulness taints everything we do to the point that anything remotely resembling good is as filthy rags in front of Holy God. So doing good things cannot save. That’s why we must place our faith in Jesus and His sacrificial death at the cross alone.

The Bible tells us that we will know those who are saved by their fruits. That is, by the way that they live their lives. Now of course all of us are still tempted to sin and still fail at times, being in this fallen world and in these fleshly bodies.

But our victory is in Christ, and each time we fail, we turn to Him, receive His victory, and continue to follow Him.

However, if we refuse to turn back to Him and acknowledge that sin is sin, and we continue to indulge in ungodly behavior and choose to dwell in a sinful lifestyle, that’s cause for concern.

That’s why it’s so important to examine ourselves to see that we are in the faith, as well as having a sensitive spirit to those who may not be true brothers and sisters in Christ. We must pray for their eyes to be opened, and often that can be through us speaking to them in love with genuine concern for their eternity.

So what can we tell about the fruit of these 205 million self-professing Christians—do all of their lives shine with the light that comes from knowing Jesus Christ personally?

Just take a look at some statistics about self-proclaimed Christians as reported by Pew Research Center:

65% of Christians believe there are many ways to eternal life
54% of Christians believe in evolution
68% of Christians say sex outside of marriage can be acceptable
45% of Christians say abortion should be legal in all or most cases
34% of Christians don’t believe in hell
54% of Christians say homosexuality should be accepted by society
39% of Christians favor or strongly favor same-sex marriage
Only 75% of Christians believe the Bible is the word of God

That said, of course we cannot know these peoples’ hearts, only God knows that. Nevertheless, He has told us in His Word that we will know them by their fruits, and the fruits of the current American church are devastating.

If someone believes there are many ways to eternal life, there’s no way that person is saved. Salvation is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness of sins and life eternal. Being a born-again Christian means you’ve repented of your sins and trusted that Jesus is the only Way.

What about those who believe in evolution, so what? Can’t someone believe that and still be saved? Maybe. But the account of creation is the first truth we learn in God’s Word. It’s the foundation for all to come. If someone can believe that part of God’s Word is untrue, how can they be sure of what they believe about Christ?

Sex outside of marriage… If you have sex outside of marriage as a Christian, will God forgive you? Yes. Should you feel convicted and repent? Yes. Has God said that it’s acceptable? Resounding no. Those who believe so need to examine themselves to see whether they are in the faith.

45% of Christians believe it’s okay to kill unborn babies in their mother’s wombs. Just think about that for a moment. How can anyone who believes it should be legal to murder a tiny human being that’s created in God’s image really know the Lord Jesus?

Over a third of all self-proclaimed Christians don’t believe in hell. Then how can they believe in Jesus when He warned of hell throughout His ministry? How can they trust in Him for eternal salvation if they don’t believe in anything to be saved from?

More than half of all reported Christians believe that homosexuality should be accepted. Yet God says in His Word that those who practice homosexuality, along with those who commit adultery, idolaters, liars, murderers, and those who practice witchcraft—that is, all of us who are unrepentant—will not inherit the kingdom of God and will be cast into the lake of fire.

This is deadly serious! To know that God has spoken judgment on these sins and yet supposed Christians stand by and even accept it without giving a loving warning is tragic! Without this knowledge of sin, so many people are headed toward an eternity in hell.

For a Christian to promote any lifestyle that goes against God’s will is cause for concern about whether they really have a relationship with Christ Jesus or not. It raises the question of whether they even believe the Bible. And if not, how can they be saved?

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Only three-quarters of Christians believe the Bible is God’s Word. So for the 25% that don’t believe or are unsure, they’re most likely false converts. You cannot call yourself a follower of Jesus Christ if you don’t believe His teachings.

My friend, do you know what all of this means?! These rampant beliefs that are in direct opposition to God’s Word are held by people who call themselves Christians. Our supposed brothers and sisters who hold these detrimental, ungodly, unbiblical beliefs are almost certainly headed for hell straight from a church pew.

Are you as heartbroken by this as I am?!

If not, I beg of you, open your eyes, open God’s Word, and allow Him to soften your heart toward the state of the church! We have allowed people to believe themselves forgiven without repentance and saved without a personal faith in Christ!

That is something the Lord will not turn a blinded eye to, and we the church will have to answer!

Let us step up now in boldness and love to speak the truth to those who have mistaken some invention of a religious “Christianity” for a personal relationship with Christ.

So how can we know if someone is truly saved or a false convert?

Here are some questions I’ve heard over and over from people who considered themselves Christians, but any of these questions should immediately raise a red flag:

I’m Christian and my family is Christian, but I don’t remember getting saved
I’m a Christian but I know God will send me to hell for XYZ
I asked Jesus into my heart
I believe in God but I don’t act right
I’ve been a Christian my whole life but I’m not sure if God is real
I work hard to be a good Christian
I believe in God but I realize I’m toxic and hurt others
I’m saved but I’m thinking about stopping being a Christian

All of these people identify as Christians, but most likely none of them are saved.

Anytime someone describes themselves as “being Christian” instead of “being a Christian,” my antenna goes up. That indicates that they’ve most likely subscribed to a religious belief and don’t have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Asking Jesus into one’s heart might sound nice, but it’s completely unbiblical. Jesus says to repent and trust in Him. It’s that simple.

If you’re working to be a “good Christian,” you’re doing it wrong. Because you literally cannot do anything other than trust in Jesus’ sacrifice at the cross for forgiveness of your sins.

And if someone believes they can stop being “Christian”—they have subscribed to religion, not a relationship with the Lord Jesus. Sadly, people who think they used to be a Christian were never saved.

Final thoughts on why we should be sharing the gospel

I hope taking a look at these 3 shocking reasons why we should be sharing the gospel has opened your eyes, my friend. Don’t be discouraged but use these reasons to inspire you to get out there and start sharing the Lord Jesus with your friends, family, and community. God is in control, and if we’re obedient to speak the truth to others in love, His Word will not return void!